A Familiar Look to Dodger Defeat

Another one-run loss.

Another wasted effort by a Dodger pitcher.

Another error that led to defeat.

Another day in a miserable season.

Sunday, before 27,477 at Dodger Stadium, the San Francisco Giants kept the game close and waited for the inevitable.

Mike Benjamin, a .200 hitter, walked in the eighth inning and scored the winning run in the Giants’ 2-1 victory.

He came home with an assist from the bedeviled Dodger infield, which botched a rundown play to punctuate the inning.

This was same .200-hitting Benjamin who walked and scored the Giants’ first run in the third.

It’s all a numbers game for the Dodgers now. It was their 68th loss of the season. It was their 31st one-run loss and the third in a row in this series with the Giants.

“It was the same as many, many we’ve lost this season,” Manager Tom Lasorda said. “We’ve gotten beat 2-1, 3-2 and 2-1. We had opportunities to score and failed to do it. We botched up a play to hurt us. We walked a guy twice that’s hitting a hundred. He scored both runs.”

The Giant beneficiary was starter John Burkett, who gave up only an unearned run in seven innings in improving to 10-6.

Jay Howell (1-2) took the loss in relief of starter Bob Ojeda, who lowered his earned run average to 3.40 with seven strong innings, giving up one run and three hits.

It marked the 11th time in 22 starts that Ojeda was handed a no-decision.

Like other Dodger starters this weekend, he deserved better.

Ojeda, a free agent after the season, has stated that he wants to stay with the Dodgers.

Someone asked him again Sunday.

“I still would,” Ojeda said, managing a smile. “Maybe.”

You’ll forgive Ojeda if he flees.

“You’ve just got to go out and give your best effort every time out,” he said. “That’s what you have to do. You look for small things to look forward to, because the shooting match is over.”

Ojeda had a feeling the run he gave up during the third inning would hurt him.

He cursed himself for walking Benjamin with one out. After moving to second base on a sacrifice, Benjamin scored on Willie McGee’s single to center.

“It was just a brain cramp,” Ojeda said of the Benjamin walk. “The balls weren’t even close.”

Ojeda saw the game flash before his eyes.

“I had a feeling when Willie hit the ball and they scored the run that the run would bother me later on,” he said.

The Dodgers tied the score during the seventh inning when Mitch Webster walked, was advanced to second on Mike Scioscia’s sacrifice, went to third on a passed ball and scored on Dave Hansen’s sacrifice fly.

But then came the eighth. Howell replaced Ojeda and quickly retired Kirt Manwaring on a fly. Then came the walk to Benjamin. Mike Felder, batting for Burkett, followed with a single to center, moving Benjamin to third.

The Dodgers then trapped Felder between first and second on an attempted steal. But after a short rundown, shortstop Jose Offerman dropped the ball while tagging Felder, who moved safely to second.

The Dodgers walked McGee intentionally to load the bases.

Benjamin scored the winning run on Robby Thompson’s squeeze bunt to the mound, the runner beating Howell’s throw to the plate.

John Candelaria replaced Howell and prevented further damage by striking out Will Clark and getting Cory Snyder on a pop-up to first.

But the damage was done.

“If we get that one out, it’s big,” Karros said of the foiled rundown of Felder. “It’s a tough play, but one we should execute. It’s been a problem all year. When we don’t make the play, it comes back to haunt us. It’s one reason why we’ve lost so many one-run games.”

The Dodgers had the potential tying run, Webster, on second base during the ninth inning with one out, but reliever Rod Beck struck out Scioscia and Mike Sharperson, both on 3-and-2 pitches, to earn his 12th save.

Dodger Attendance

Sunday’s attendance: 27,477

1992 Total (55 dates): 1,932,843

1991 Total (55 dates): 2,315,302

Decrease: 382,459

1992 average: 35,143